A Strange Sort of Peace
by TeddysFromHeyll
Summary: Yuki finds himself haunted by a ghost. Could this be related to the accidents that keep happening around Tohru? Meanwhile, both Kyou and Tohru find themselves falling in love... with Yuki? (KyouxYuki, TohruxYuki)
1. The Chopsticks

**"A Strange Sort of Peace"**

**Author's Note:** My first Furuba fanfic. It's Yuki-centric because I like to torture, confuse and make him happy most. Also, I've written this on sort of a whim, immensely tired of seeing Kyou fall instantly in love with Yuki and saying "Man he's hot and I want sex!... wait ... Why did I think that about Yuki!??!? I didn't just think that!!" over and over and over again in fanfics on FFnet. Anyhoo, why dont we do ourselves a favor and get this out of the way: You shall expect disorganization, much OOC, and overall suckiness.... =P and I shall expect no reviews. Deal? 

Deal! *shakes reader's hand*

Besides I'm doing this in my free time, and there's no guarantee that it'll be the best piece you've ever read or that I'll continue it if I lose interest. But if you've read what I've had to say and don't mind, I hope you enjoy your stay. 

**Pairings:** KyouxYuki TohruxYuki  
(Yes I know I'm a strange one.) 

**Summary:** It all begins when a sleepless Yuki finds himself haunted nightly by a benevolent kitchen ghost. Could this be related to the dangerous accidents that keep happening around Tohru? Meanwhile, both a shocked Kyou and a timid Tohru find themselves falling in love... _with Yuki!? _

**_Warnings:_ **This story includes yaoi, non-consensual sex (rape), violence, death and much OMGness. Rating may change.

Part 1: 

Yuki brushed a lock of hair from his eyes, bringing his lean arms around his trembling body. Both the cold and the silence wrapped around him and he couldn't help but shiver in its grasp. It took him a few moments to finally gather his thoughts enough to know where he was: in his bedroom, exhausted and sore. 

He looked down reproachfully at the blankets that were lying so peacefully on the floor. _I must've kicked off them off again_, he thought to himself. Couldn't he have just one night's rest? It wasn't too much to ask for was it? He had enough to worry about and he didn't need to add sleepless nights to the list. 

_Calm down Yuki. You don't want another attack…_He placed a careful hand over his chestand his fingers were greeted with the erratic beating of his heart, the action done purely by habit. A habit purely conditioned by the instability of his health in the past few days. 

It was several agonizingly slow minutes before he finally lifted his head and allowed his eyes adjust to the sickly white glow of the moon. It came streaming in through his window like a searchlight. 

He turned to the alarm clock and eyed the red numbers that glared back at him a deep red 3:37. 

Yuki groaned, letting his head rest within the safety of his hands. He could feel the bags under his eyes already, and it had surprised him immensely that no one had mentioned anything about his appearance yet. Whenever he had looked in the mirror, the bags under his eyes had been the first thing he had noticed. So why wasn't anyone reacting?? Either everyone was trying to be polite, which was probably not the case with the bakaneko… or everyone was too busy with their own lives to notice. 

He snorted when he realized the self-pity hiding in his train of thought. 

It had been a good three weeks since he had gotten some decent rest and there was no doubt in his mind that the sleeplessness was from the reoccurring dreams that he always seemed to forget. Whenever he had tried to reach out for them, they would filter through his fingers like fine grains of sand. 

They gave him a distinct feeling of dread, almost as if he sensed an oncoming danger. Animal instinct that made him more aware than he had wanted to be. 

His choice inevitably had been to find other methods to try to coax himself back to sleep. One of which was trudging all the way downstairs into the kitchen at an ungodly hour to reluctantly fix himself some hot chocolate. Poorly made, he reminded himself, but hot chocolate none the less. 

So despite the protests of his weary body, Yuki swung his feet off the bed. Yuki couldn't help that his hot chocolate (as Kyou would say) 'completely sucked.' He could only be thankful that Tohru had gotten into the habit of buying instant-ramen recently. Even Yuki could prepare a decent serving of that. There was no way he could burn hot water. At least he hoped.

He crept down the stairs as silently as he possibly could, making his way step by step. First past Tohru's room… then past the cat's, and finally past Shigure's room, taking moments in between to quell his rapidly beating heart. He jumped every time there was a creak in the floorboards, and made notes about where to avoid stepping in the future. 

He sighed. If he had to be honest, it wasn't as if he had really expected to be getting more sleep since he had moved into Shigure's house. The refreshing change in surroundings was always overshadowed by the lingering images of his dark room back at the main house. It was enough to keep him up several hours each night alone. And still yet there was that image of a dark-haired boy that always crept into his room on a cold night. That particular memory had lingered in his mind long after he managed to escape the confines of the main house. 

Before he knew it he had a steaming cup of ramen noodles sitting ready at the counter: A nightly ritual that he might have settled completely into had it not been for the slight change that had happened when he sat down to eat the hot noodles. The was a slight pause when he realized, "What am I going to eat it with? My hands?" He looked about irritated and annoyed when his gaze finally settled on the object of his loathing. 

"Damned chopsticks..." he muttered and eyed them from across the kitchen counter. He reached for them and stopped halfway, realizing that his arm wasn't long enough to grab them, ensuring a weary trek all the way around the table to get them. 

And he sighed, getting up off his chair to retrieve the two utensils. 

But they saved him the trouble. 

The two chopsticks jumped off the counter of their own accord and very much… floated… through the air towards his hands. 

If washing his face hadn't woken him up yet, this sure did. 

He stared, not sure whether to be grateful or horrified. No, he was _not_ seeing things. Chopsticks, however expensive, usually didn't have the capability to float over to one when they wished them to. 

The moment of shock had passed and completely by reflex he dropped the chopsticks and stared at them as they lay lifeless on the floor. 

He thought he had heard laughing, distant and trapsparent, but hollow on his sharp hearing. 

"I'm not really awake." he spoke softly, wondering whether or not the words would really wake him up from the dream he was surely in. And as if to mock his words, the chopsticks jumped back to life and lofted up into the air. They rested in his hands and he felt his fingers close firmly around them as if someone else had reached out and moved his fingers for him. 

"W-What the…," He said a bit louder than he had wanted to. He narrowed his eyes and looked about the empty kitchen. "If this is another one of your pranks, Shigure, I'm really not in the mood. I'm not falling for it either." He hissed impatiently. 

And no reply came from the dark, empty rooms of the house; Only the steady ticking of the clock on the living room wall. Much to his discomfort, Shigure did not pop up from around the corner pointing at laughing. And did not, in the process, explain how in the hell he managed to make the chopsticks float. 

Then how in the world…? He must have been going insane. 

There _was_ more soft laughing. And if he hadn't been on the verge of going into hysterics, he would have noted the feminine touch that caressed his right cheek. 

But nothing else occurred that night. 

He felt inclined once or twice, though to set them down out of his own reach just to see if they would come back to him on their own. They didn't, however. They simply laid on the table silently until Yuki sighed and picked them up himself. 

So Yuki was content to eat his cup of luke-warm ramen noodles hurriedly, wanting to head back to bed before any more interesting things decided to happen. 

He returned swiftly to his room and closed the door behind him, pausing in mid breath to watch the silhouette of a butterfly fluttered past his window with uneven grace. 

*~*~*~*~*~*

The chopsticks danced for him a second night, finally convincing him that perhaps it really wasn't a dream after all. And it was getting harder to convince himself that it wasn't real when they danced a third night. Damn near impossible when they danced for him on a fourth. 

But were the chopsticks really alive? Because when he began to consider the absurd notion that they were inanimate objects that insisted on moving by themselves, it still didn't account for the amused laugh that he sometimes heard when he would fling them away in surprise. 

And he came to the conclusion; The chopsticks were not alive. They would never be. Instead, he decided that the kitchen was haunted instead. _Much better explanation_, Yuki thought to himself grimly_, than animate kitchen utensils. _

He didn't want to think about the implications if the butcher knives were to come alive. He shuddered slightly. 

Then again, considering his circumstances, perhaps a haunting was not that improbable. After all, if one could turn into a mouse when hugged by the opposite gender, then most likely a haunted kitchen would not seem so out of place in a Sohma household. 

"What," he asked suddenly when a soothing voice interrupted his train of thought. He felt several pairs of eyes burning into him with curiosity from across the table. Two of those pairs lingering curiously until he made eye contact with each. 

"I asked if you were you all right." Said Tohru in mid-scoop, letting her gaze fall to the table. A soft red blush appeared on her face. She then turned to the bowl in her hands and placed a bit of rice into Shigure's bowl for him. 

Kyou watched in silence, and tried to keep the indifferent expression locked on his face as he rolled his eyes. 

It was breakfast and the four of then were seated comfortably around the table. The morning sun was streaming in through the open door behind him, and there was a comforting glow about the room. It was just a shame that Yuki felt too exhausted to appreciate the nice day. 

Tohru sat on the opposite side with a questioning look on her face. He realized a moment later that he had been staring down at his chopsticks as if he were waiting for something to happen. 

"Oh no, no Honda-san... I'm quite all right." He said and eagerly began picking at his food to satisfy her. She nodded and smiled, the odd moment dismissed after a few choice words. The wind chimes rang in the soft breeze outside. 

"Did you have trouble sleeping again last night, Yuki?" Tohru asked. Yuki 

"What makes you say that, Tohru?" He asked, trying to keep the strain out of his voice. How did Tohru know about him having trouble sleeping? Had he been that obvious about it? He doubted it. And besides, even if she did know about it, he certainly wouldn't admit to it. He didn't feel like talking about his sleepless nights. If anything, it would only add on to the list of things that Tohru worried about. As if she didn't worry enough about the three of them already. 

"We all heard you pounding your way downstairs last night." muttered Kyou prodding at the rice his own bowl. "You couldn't have been louder if you had fallen down the stairs." 

Yuki opened his mouth a witty reply ready on his lips, but he held his tongue when suddenly Kyou's cup of water decided to tip itself over. The group was in silence as the water spread out onto the table in a small flood. Yuki heard the feminine laughing again and he faintly wondered whether or not Tohru, Shigure or Kyou had heard it. 

"Oh!" Tohru said and stood. Yuki looked around the room, but of course found nothing. Meanwhile, Tohru slipped off into the kitchen to grab something to clean it up. 

An amused smile crossed Yuki's face however, and he took the opportunity to snipe at the framed act of clumsiness. "I don't need to make a fool of you this morning. You seem very apt at making a fool of _yourself_." Yuki said feeling quite satisfied, though his curiosity did make him take a second glance around the room. _Still nothing._

"You wanna make something of it!?" Kyou said, leaning forward over the table threateningly. Yuki only rested his chin on his palm amused. 

"Only if you feel like getting beat down this morning. And quit being so noisy and help clean it up." Yuki motioned to the wet table, small puddles already starting to form at some spots under the table. Kyou's face only turned redder. 

"Maybe if you'd stop fucking movin' the table and shit, then maybe we could eat in peace! " he said, standing up and slamming his hand down. His aura burned brightly around him, the red glow slightly tinting the living room in red. 

Yuki tensed covertly, feeling the touch of Kyou's fingers against his. At first there was the usual feeling off indignity and being offended from the invasion of personal space. But he jerked his hand back when there was a curious longing that he didn't understand. 

And instead of understanding it, Yuki simply followed his programmed responses and continued the argument. It was easier to figure it out later, anyway, Yuki supposed. 

"I didn't do a thing, but if you need a lesson taught, which I think you do… then we can settle this right now." he retorted just as quickly, standing up on the opposite side, somewhat glad for the excuse to move his hand away Kyou's. 

Shigure grinned as usual while Tohru continued to utter worried 'Um's and 'You guys...'s, a bit of a poor attempt to quell the two raging forces of destruction. 

"Today's the day!" he said determinedly, making a point of flicking Yuki off as he spoke. 

"I'd like to see you try," All at once the two forces collided in a show of power and fury that rivaled that of a tempest. 

Tohru stood and held out her hand helplessly, as if the action might at least stop the two. Shigure simply pulled out his fan and laughed. 

"Tohru, dear, it's best to let them fight. They've got a lot of energy. They're growing boys after all- no doubt you've already noticed that." Tohru blushed severely at his comment, throwing her gaze down at the floor. She suddenly notice a stain of what she thought absentmindedly was grape juice and stared at it with all her proverbial might. "Besides, they're going to be the ones who fix whatever they break." 

Tohru nodded a bit numbly the sounds of the raging battle sounding around them. "That's true." 

"So now that we're alone, sweet Tohru, I should point out that you're quite the grown woman too," he said, suddenly appearing all too close to the surprised Tohru on the other side. She blushed even more fiercely, but the moment was interrupted when the two deliverers of destruction were at her side already in mid-pummel of the author. 

"Pervert!" they both exclaimed in unison, sending Shigure flying no less than several yards across the living room. 

_Well that's one way to stop an argument… _Tohru thought to herself a bit grimly. 

"Save your indecency for when you corrupt little girls with your perverted books." Kyou said, cracking his knuckles and standing protectively over Tohru. Kyou unconsciously waited for Yuki to deliver his own righteous remark, but there was only silence. Both Kyou and Tohru found his lack of retort a bit odd. Even more awkward when they turned to see Yuki staring at the open door to the hallway. 

"Yuki are you all right?" Tohru asked. She frowned when Yuki failed to answer, still lost in his own thoughts. 

And unknown to the other three, they had actually been correct in their first assumptions. Yuki did see something in the hallway. It was a fleeting glance of red out of the corner of his eye. A familiar flutter he was absolutely sure he had seen several nights before.

*~*~*~*~*~*

The walk to school was no different from any other day. It was Tohru, Kyou and Yuki together, Tohru was of course in the middle. And as it was Yuki and Tohru made with the idle talk while Kyou had pointedly placed some remarks in between. 

But frankly, Kyou wasn't in the mood for chitchat. He could feel his stomach churning inside him, which usually only happened when he was frustrated about something. It wasn't exactly easy for Kyou to ever figure out what he was feeling, because … well… he just wasn't good at that kind of… stuff. 

And listening to Tohru and Yuki go at it with idle-talk wasn't a good way to keep his temper in check. So rather than give his temper an opportunity to rear its ugly head, he made the smart decision to exclude himself altogether. Besides, it gave him the change to delve into his own train of thought. 

More specifically the amethyst eyed boy who walked lightly on the other side of Tohru. 

He stared at his hands. They were still kind of 'tingly' from earlier that morning. 

"… you think, Kyou?" Tohru asked, looking quite flustered. She quickly pretended that her skirt needed some fixing and let her gaze slide downwards. 

"I think what?" Kyou asked, raising an eyebrow in response to her reaction. What had they been talking about again? 

Yuki did somewhat of a cross between a laugh and a sigh, "She was asking you if you wanted to go see a movie this afternoon. What's wrong with you today?" 

"You're what's wrong with me that's what," he snapped back quietly, refusing to look him in the face. Whether Yuki had heard the comment or not, he sure didn't react. And on the other hand, Yuki was grateful for Kyou's refusal to look at him. He felt he wasn't exactly in the shape to be seen by the cat, especially when Tohru's words still rang loudly in his ears. 

_ "That is… if you weren't busy this afternoon… you know. I don't have work so… would Yuki-kun like to go to the movies with me?… A-Ah! I mean Kyou is invited too but… that is if he wants to come, and I don't want to force him to go if he doesn't want to! That is um, if Yuki-kun wants to go as well…Because Yuki doesn't have to go either, It's just…Aahhh…see…if he's busy and all-"_

And how else could he answer but, _"I'd love to go."_

Strangely enough, the question came so fast that he didn't have time to get nervous. 

He had imagined over and over the moment when he'd ask Tohru, but it had never gone like this. 

The high-flying feeling never left Tohru either. Even Uochan and Hanachan noticed her bright smile that morning when she walked into the classroom and waved to the motley duo. 

But the pleasant time that Yuki had spent with Tohru that morning quickly left his mind as a substitute teacher walked into the classroom and immediately started the lecture. _He forgot to introduce himself to us,_ he said, making a mental note on the rude habit and condemned him for it. 

He took to writing notes but the insistent pitter-patter of the rain outside the window caught his attention. It beat quietly on the rooftops and the window panes and Yuki looked down at his notebook and almost wanted to laugh.

He drew a small heart and cautiously put the letters Y and T together, testing out the feeling of the pencil on paper. He had seen some of the other girls do it with his name and theirs, wondering what it felt like to be in love. To be in real love. Not just the strange infatuations that seemed to follow him daily.

He quickly erased the letters, and the faintly drawn heart and turned his attention back to the rain. 

He had never understood what made Tohru love the rain so much. He had listened to her talk for an entire afternoon about the utter appreciation she had for it… 

But on rainy days, Tohru would never play in the rain. She'd always stand out on the porch under the shelter of the roof, hand outstretched as if she were reaching for it desperately. But she'd never take a step forward into the rain, as if something was holding her back. Instead, she stood content to feel the raindrops tease the tips of her fingers. 

As for Yuki… well, he loathed the rain with all his being. There was a sinking feeling in his stomach every time that he saw it. He suspected the hate for it was from two distinct reasons. First was that he was never given the chance to love it like the other Sohma children grew to. He always had to watch it from the inside, cold and lonely. 

At the main house, rainy days meant he had to stay inside. The adults were deathly afraid of him becoming even more sick. So Akito would always confine him to his room, leaving Yuki feel caged… and cornered. Until he found that on rainy days… He could sit perched on the windowsill watching the other children of the house splashing in puddles and running around in the courtyard: A whimsical image of what Yuki might have become if Akito had never come into his life. He would've been one of them, wouldn't he? 

Usually, it didn't last long. It would only be a matter of time before the mothers and fathers would have found them and pulled them inside. Warmth. Comfort. Care. Love. And he had to watch it all from a distance. 

And once they were inside again, all that was left was to listen for was the quiet, steady footsteps that always warned him of Akito's comings. 

Everyone loved the rain, he supposed. 

Even Kyou. Sometimes Yuki would catch sight of the cat sleeking into his room, complaining about being soaked to the bone when caught in sudden downpours. But there was a certain hint of playfulness that he always had when he came inside. Strange, considering Yuki had always thought cats hated water. 

Everyone loved the rain… everyone but Yuki. 

Meanwhile, the cat himself wasn't really paying attention to the teacher either. His eyes followed Yuki's gaze. _What the hell's he looking at anyway? It's not like there's anything interesting out there anyway… _He could tell by the vacant look Yuki's his eyes that the boy was off in his own world, a drastic change from the way he usually paid rapt attention to his teachers. He always did excel in academics easily, unlike Kyou. _All this fazing out lately is annoying me. _He thought and turned back to his desk to continue doodling on the side of his history notes. 

Yes. There were a lot of things that Yuki remembered when it rained… He remembered the unbearable, intruding heat and the arms that had snaked their way around his waist. 

Eventually, though, Kyou yawned and found that his doodles weren't enough to capture his attention for long. The rain continued to fall outside, drawing his eyes back towards the window where unfortunately Yuki was in his way. 

Yuki remembered the dark room. And the cold, damp floor against his back. 

But to his surprise, the Prince was already looking back at him with a glazed look in his eyes that were immediately ripped away upon making eye contact. _The hell? Was he staring at me??_ Yuki gave a barely visible shudder. _No…he's looking past me,_ Kyou realized and frowned. 

Yuki remembered humiliation. The shame. Embarrassment.

There was a small creak from Yuki's desk. Out of the corner of his eyes, he spotted the mouse's hands as he gripped the side of his desk for dear life. His arms were crossed over his notebook, concealing the white knuckles underneath. 

Didn't anyone else notice? Kyou chewed on the tip of his pencil. 

The icy hands. The unrelenting cruelty. So cold… 

And hate… Self loathing… Yuki remembered the frantic screaming that had drowned out a quiet laughter in his ears.

_Oh, yes… _He thought. Yuki remembered many things indeed. 

Kyou turned his eyes away just in time to hear the bell ring. Yuki sat unmoving, ignoring the shuffling around him as students gathered their books. 

It was beginning to get on his nerves. Yuki was tuning out the rest of the world again. 

If anything, the mouse was usually alert, careful and sharp. Lately he had been sluggish and somewhat… tired looking. If anything it was a bit disturbing to Kyou, even if he wanted to beat Yuki into the ground every chance he had.

Author's Note: Review with an empty, useless review and I shall give you a mouse plushy. Review a good review or constructive criticism and you shall receive a Kyou, Yuki and Tohru plushy package. Mail me $50 and I you shall receive a singing telegram from the Sohma of your choice.

Meh... first chapter over. Not really that interesting yet. Things get moving in the next chapter ^^. 


	2. Broken Glass

**"A Strange Sort of Peace"**

**Author's Note:** KyouxYuki & TohruxYuki are THE official pairings in this fic, to answer the review questions ^.^ I've taken a liking to both pairings and I've decided to experiment by trying both at once =P. Also, I may speed up the pace SLIGHTLY. Not super fast… just enough so that I don't babble on and on, trying to describe every little thing. Here's to trying a new method of writing… er… slightly new. 

**Pairings:** KyouxYuki TohruxYuki  
(Yes I know I'm a strange one.) 

**Summary:** It all begins when a sleepless Yuki finds himself haunted nightly by a benevolent kitchen ghost. Could this be related to the dangerous accidents that keep happening around Tohru? Meanwhile, both a shocked Kyou and a timid Tohru find themselves falling in love... _with Yuki!? _

**_Warnings:_ **This story includes yaoi, non-consensual sex (rape), violence, death and much OMGness. Rating may change.

Part 2: 

His first reaction, which in his opinion was the most sensible, was to rush out of the classroom at full speed when the cat had asked 'what the hell was wrong with him.' He hadn't snapped back into the real world until he felt a light, almost accidental touch against his arm. The next thing he knew, Kyou was leaning over his desk staring at him straight in the face. As if Kyou _hadn't already_ violated his personal space that morning. 

He only turned away with a careless expression, not bothering to ask what the cat had wanted, gathered his things and left. It was better not to acknowledge that he had been caught off guard again. If he let it get it through his thick skull that Yuki wasn't invincible, the bakaneko just might start thinking he'd be able to beat Yuki in a fight. And his cocky attitude was enough to deal with as it was. 

In any case, he had more important matters to attend to: heading to the library to find some answers about one thing. 

Hauntings. 

The library was busy and slightly crowded when he walked in and the buzz of the students made Yuki fidget with paranoia and vigilance. He hated crowds with a passion. Luckily for him, he'd never had the misfortune of transforming in a busy street or in a large public place. He tended to stay away from those places altogether, like the rest of the inner circle of the Jyunishi . 

And it was probably habit that had saved him a lot of pain and misery. If he had the bad luck of transforming at a crosswalk, then not even Hatori would be able to conceal the secret of the jyunishi from the world. 

The cursed members of the Sohmas were incredibly lucky. Part of the curse, he supposed, was its very own desire to keep itself hidden. 

He paused a moment in a thought, a chill running down his spine thinking that perhaps the curse itself had a mind of its own. A consciousness that smiled upon the suffering of unfortunate souls of the Sohma clan. 

Yuki picked up the book that had fallen off the shelf. It had bonked the top of his head while he was brooding in front of a shelf. The book had happily landed beside his foot. 

He picked it up obligingly, figuring that if the book had wanted to be checked out so badly as to throw itself off the shelf, then he might as well have taken a look at it. 

'No title?' he thought when he let it flop open in his hand. With one quick movement, he slapped it shut and tucked it under his arm. So after making his way over to the tables on the other side of the library where he set about looking through the stack slowly, one book at a time. 

Not even a few minutes passed before his gaze was drawn once more to the maroon cover of the book that lied silently beside his elbow. He set down his palm on top of the textured cover and ran his fingers along the front. _Someone must've really liked you, _he thought knowingly._ Did they borrow you a lot?_ He picked it up from the table and leisurely opened up the maroon book. 

"What's so special about you, though?" he wondered and read the faded lines of the first page. 

A piece of paper slipped out from between the pages to his surprise. 

_Well, what do we have here?_ Yuki thought as he set down the book. It was a clipping from a newspaper dated only a few years ago. Its headlines were already too wrinkled and battered to be read, obviously worn from frequent use and readings. But the words underneath it were clear and bold, holding firm to the story within its letters. 

'The red.... butterfly?' he read some words aloud to himself. Yakuza... a female gang, that was. 

He quickly skimmed over the clipping and looked around, slipping the piece of paper gently inside his pocket. Without hesitation, he picked up the maroon book and flipped quickly though the worn pages for more clippings. Several more instantly fell out of its pages, no doubt holding more secrets. 

Yuki stared at each of the clippings, frowning from the sheer coincidence. 

Gang. Red. Car. Riot. Fight. Deserted. Rival.... 

Butterfly... butterfly, butterfly, butterfly... again and again he read over the same words. 

"Kyoko... Honda?" He said suddenly out loud. "Kyoko Honda?" 

Some girls giggled as they past by him, startling him as if someone had just placed a hand on his shoulder and said his name. At the same time, his heart pounded meaningfully in his chest. 

He waited but a few moments before he headed over to the counter to check it out, all the while, feeling unfamiliar warmth as if someone close to him was smiling. 

And he liked it. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Yuki noticed three girls further down the hallway caught in a lively conversation. One of which was Arisa, who was making some wide sweeping gestures as if narrating a story. Hanajima was looking out the window. Yuki suspected that she was fazing out the yankee's narrative, but a moment later she turned and made a remark that made Arisa laugh and pat her back. 

And the moment his eyes moved towards Tohru, he smiled. She was already looking back at him and the eye contact made her exhale and throw her gaze to the floor again. _She seems to be doing that a lot lately, _he thought to himself. 

However, Tohru's wasn't the only person studying Yuki. Saki's watchful eyes were as well and he could feel her black eyes on him as if they meant to burn a hole straight through him. His smile faltered when Saki looked him straight in the eyes. 

Invisible waves of electricity flashed behind her. 

As if his legs feared mortal danger, they deliberately changed his course down the hallway and veered straight ahead to his classroom instead of towards Tohru and Arisa like he had originally intended. 

_That… wasn't supposed to happen…_ he thought grimly. 

He turned and fearfully stared at the door where he had come in, wondering how in the world that he was supposed to catch Arisa and Tohru alone. There was something very scary about the young psychic that always managed to throw off Yuki like no other (that is, aside from Akito.) She possessed a knowingness that caught the members of the Jyunishi by surprise. 

And no doubt, the psychic would definitely suspect something if he asked to see her two closest friends alone. In fact, Yuki wasn't sure Saki hadn't _already_ begun to suspect something. He sighed and sat down at his desk in the nearly empty classroom. He rested his chin thoughtfully on his palm and sighed. 

Wouldn't it be rude, though? he wondered, If he were to simply ask Tohru about her deceased mother. How would Tohru react to the fact that Yuki thought her mother was haunting the house? Or rather, just haunting Yuki himself and not haunting her beloved daughter like one would expect? How would Arisa react, for that matter? 

Why was it so hard for him to just ask about Kyoko? And just _what_ would he ask, if he ever did dredge up the courage to ask them? 

"Lack of action merits no answers for the inquirer," a voice answered his thoughts aloud. 

"I know that. But I don't think I'll be able to. Especially considering the circumstances-" Yuki stopped in mid sentence and jumped out of his seat. The chair was sent sliding back against another desk with a loud bang. "H-hanajima!!" he cried in surprise. "Y-you surprised me… when you… walked… in just now!" 

Saki seemed to be unaffected by the outburst and continued, "Something has happened." 

"Can I do something f-for you?" Yuki asked, not moving to claim his former seat. Saki's expression remained stoic as usual and Yuki had trouble deciding whether or not she was really going to answer until she opened her mouth a few seconds later. 

"You want to ask them something." She said. 

"N-no it's quite all right. I think I already had my question answered," Yuki answered quickly. He noticed no change. He fought the urge to sprint for the door. Well… would it really hurt to tell Hanajima what was wrong? "I... think I have a problem... with Tohru's mother." 

"What problem is that?" she stated more than asked and Yuki felt himself obligated to answer truthfully. Besides, he reasoned, she was a psychic. Who better to believe in ghosts than someone like her? 

"I think I'm being haunted by Tohru's mother..." he trailed off, suddenly feeling foolish. After all, before the chopstick incident, he would have dismissed anyone who believed in hauntings and ghosts. He was just the kind of person who didn't believe in wandering specters and restless spirits. His first initial images of ghosts looked suspiciously like Akito… or of floating white bed sheets with eye-holes cut out. 

"Why," she asked. _Why are you asking Arisa and Tohru?_ He finished her sentence unconsciously. 

"Because ... they knew her in real life right?" He said, resting his hand unsteadily on the arm of the chair. 

Saki gave no answer, only waiting for him to continue with his explanation. He couldn't help but glance at the door briefly, wishing he had given into the urge to leave the room earlier. Did she believe him at all? 

Whatever her stance was, her expression gave no indication of what she was thinking. "I don't really know why I wanted to talk to them. I guess I thought they might have some answers for me. Maybe even finding out why she's haunting me. Me of all people. It doesn't make sense..." 

"You're not in a position to say whether or not she is haunting you." she replied quickly and turned to leave the classroom. Yuki debated with himself furiously whether or not to stop her and settled for sitting down in his chair and staring off numbly into space. Yuki turned suddenly to her retreating figure, a question waiting impatiently on his lips. 

"I won't tell them." she said, almost as if she was reading his mind. "It's not my place." 

"Then..." Yuki said. 

"When?" She interrupted him. 

"It only happens at night, so I guess that you could... I mean... tonight is fine... And Saki, I know this may sound odd, but I'd rather Kyou and the rest of them not know about-" 

"Leave the door open. Wait for me in the kitchen." 

Yuki looked up curiously from his desk only to find Saki gone. Of course, she was probably already outside with Arisa and Tohru once more. 

"Wait... he asked himself with a disturbed look on his normally calm features. "How'd she know it was happening in the kitchen...?" 

*~*~*~*~*~* 

Tohru had wanted to watch something that had a good ending, and Kyou had wanted to watch anything and everything with violence in it. Kyou hadn't said a thing the entire time, but Yuki spotted the way Kyou's eyes lingered on certain posters. 

Personally, Yuki didn't really care, still unbelieving that he was on a semi-date with Tohru; the semi part coming into play whenever he set regretful eyes on the damned cat who had decided to come after all. But he really felt as if the cat being there didn't ruin the trip. The fact of the matter was that he was out with Tohru and he was going to make sure she enjoyed herself. 

On the bright side, the movie theater wasn't too packed that day, being a weekday. Apparently Tohru had asked the two of them spur of the moment and hadn't taken into account that they still had some things to do. Especially since it _was_ a weekday. 

She also nearly died of guilt when Yuki paid for her ticket, but she eventually warmed up to the idea. He knew she was enjoying herself in the end, especially when they set foot inside. 

Tohru hadn't been inside a movie theater since the time her mother had taken her to see an old samurai film. And he knew it was a special time. Which was why he nearly hit Kyou after the two of them started an argument.

But instead of just knocking the cat down like he usually did, he managed to notice people looking their way during the loud shouting on Kyou's part. He shoved the cat back against a wall and hissed at him, "You're trying to ruin this day for Tohru aren't you? Are you _trying _to be a problem?" 

"Shut up! I'm not being a problem!" Kyou said, and suddenly his mind scrambled. He could feel Yuki's warm breath against his neck. And despite all efforts not to allow it, the touch on his shoulder was frying whatever thought processes he had been trying to get through his head. "Just get off me!" 

It was the damned mouse's fault. It wasn't like he had done anything wrong. In fact, the only thing he _had_ done was stare before Yuki got antsy and reacted violently to Kyou's remark. 

It really shouldn't have meant a thing. He knew what people whispered about Yuki : how absolutely beautiful he was. And Kyou sure as hell wasn't blind. He'd be an idiot if he didn't know it. For fuck's sake he had to see his face every day. How could he not? 

But if he would admit anything, he wouldn't say that Yuki was beautiful. 

He was just nice to look at. 

There was something pleasing about the way that Yuki's hair moved. About the way he walked and about the way his voice sounded. The little things that made Yuki who he was. 

That was all. Was it wrong for him to look at something that everyone else did? 

He simply swatted away his aggressor's hands. Yuki didn't protest. The boy only turned on his heel and walked off on his own. He paused a moment later, waiting for Tohru like the polite gentleman he was. 

Kyou rolled his eyes and turned his shoulder to get rid of the soreness. It had been the first to hit the wall when Yuki had shoved him back and Yuki seemed to be particularly more irritated that day. He tended to be more violent when he felt annoyed. _I thought you didn't want to ruin Tohru's day, huh?_ He thought stubbornly and glared at Yuki. 

Tohru turned worriedly to Kyou. "Are you all right? Are you hurt?" 

He snorted. "Worry about yourself, I'm fine." The anger seethed beneath his chest. _What's his problem!?_ _I have a right to be here just like everyone else, fucking mouse… _In one last attempt to get the feeling of Yuki's hand on his shoulder, he brushed it off with his other hand as if it was a tangible object. 

He paused in mid-brush. The air around him suddenly snapped with electricity. It was almost as if someone had flicked a switch inside his head because suddenly he felt alert and aware of his surroundings. What was it? 

Tohru had once asked whether or not animals could sense things like earthquakes in advance. He didn't answer, never having stopped to think about it, himself. Kyou narrowed his eyes, looking about the room for the source of the disturbance. 

Meanwhile, Tohru nodded understandingly and turned to walk towards Yuki. She had a smile on her face and a bounce in her step. 

But she had only taken but a few steps before there was a loud crash directly above. She looked towards the source of the loud noise. She turned down just in time to shield herself from a downpour of broken glass. 

She crouched down and involuntarily let out a small squeal that caught the attention of both Yuki and Kyou who rushed forward, pulling Tohru to her feet before larger shards of glass began to fall on top of her. 

Yuki looked on, horrified, relieved… and even a bit jealous… from afar. He hadn't been looking in their general direction until Tohru had screamed. And by then, Kyou was already pulling her forward out of the way of the falling glass. 

Yuki crouched down beside Tohru, his arm just barely touching her shoulder. 

"Tohru are you all right?" Yuki asked, brushing aside her bangs to see her face clearly. People were bustling about them, a few of them employees that had rushed to the sound of the crash. Tohru, who was a bit shaken, but otherwise unharmed nodded. "What happened?" He noticed Kyou who was already on his feet, staring at something on the wall. Yuki followed his gaze. 

"One of the fucking movie display cases up there shattered for some reason…I don't know what happened." He said. Sure enough, Yuki stared at the the broken glass embedded on the floor and then looked back up at the wall where the glass had come from. The display itself had virtually just shattered as if someone had hurled something at it. 

"O-Oi… Kuso Nezumi… before Tohru screamed… did you feel.." he said cautiously. Suddenly, it seemed very crazy to him. And there was a small fear in the back of his mind that the mouse might've thought that he was crazy. 

But to his relief, Yuki interrupted him, "Yeah, Kyou." He helped the uncertain Tohru back to her feet. "I felt it too.." 

It took several moments, but the manager of the small theater had come out to investigate and took several moments to assure the people around them that everything was all right. They had to spend another ten minutes explaining and accepting their solemn apologies and free passes, but eventually they made their way back out. 

"Oh you're hurt!" Tohru spoke up more confidently at the door. She reached out and took Kyou's in her own. "You're bleeding." 

Kyou blinked curiously. "I am?" he said and he pulled back his own hand slowly, staring at the crimson that was already starting to drip down his wrist. "It's not that bad, it's only a cut." Despite his protests, Tohru had already reached into her pocked and pulled out her handkerchief. Yuki stood silently and watched the two with a serene look to him. 

"Well, you should worry about yourself… You're the one who was nearly _impaled_ by falling glass, weren't you?" Kyou replied. 

*~*~*~*~*~* 

Yuki didn't have trouble staying up late to wait for Saki that night. It wasn't a matter of trying to keep awake. It was more a matter of being too restless to get some sleep before Saki entered the household. 

Yuki was already waiting in the kitchen, sitting on a stool, swimming in a chaotic sea of his own thoughts. Many of those thoughts were centered around the appearance of the kitchen-ghost. Or actually of what Yuki was sure was Tohru's mother. 

He wasn't quite sure whether or not he was making things up, but he felt that whatever had entertained him the nights before with the chopsticks definitely wanted him to find the old maroon book and the scattered newspaper clippings between its pages. 

He opened the book once again, aware that the book itself probably had nothing to do with the haunting itself. As far as Yuki read, it turned out that it was nothing more than a coming-of-age novel of a young woman who was determined to reach some college or university. In the end, of course, she did manage to reach her goal but the story wasn't over yet. He still had to read the last few chapters. 

Saki was already sorting through the clippings when he looked up from the book. 

Once again, Yuki found himself surprised enough to jump out of his seat, the stool falling over and hitting the flour loudly. Saki didn't react. 

"Ah... I went to the library the other day. I was looking for anything that might give me some help and I ... stumbled... upon this one." He held up the small novel and set it down on the counter in front of Saki. "Inside it, I found all sorts of articles that were all about some female gang that used to run around the city a long time ago. I even think a few of them are still... active, if you will, today." 

Saki picked up a single article and scanned her eyes quickly over it. She handed it to Yuki who had already ran through all of them several times. 

"This is the only one I don't quite get." Yuki said to her as he politely took it from her hands. "All of them are about the gang except for this one." He flipped it over once as if he hadn't already looked it over a hundred times. 

"A car crash," she said. 

"Yes, that's right. What does a car crash have to do with all the others?" 

"When did Kyoko start haunting you?" she asked, seeming to ignore the question or find it irrelevant. 

"You know her name?" asked Yuki in surprise. 

"You forget what I am to Tohru." she replied, unaffected by his surprise. Of course she would know her name, Yuki scolded himself. She was one of Tohru's best friends and being that as it was, Tohru would have at least told her something of her late mother. And it wasn't as if Saki wouldn't have had the chance to meet her when Kyoko was alive. Kyoko was probably an acquaintance. 

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean-" he stopped himself when catching a glance from her. "It all started a few nights ago. With chopsticks..." He averted his gaze. 

"Chopsticks." She repeated. Yuki wasn't sure whether she was asking or just confirming and it was beginning to drive Yuki insane. 

"It would always happen when I was downstairs about this time at night and cooking ramen noodles." he said. He looked over to the stove where a kettle of water was already beginning to whistle faintly. He walked over to the stove and turned it off while reaching for one of the noodle cups in the cupboard. 

His hand paused hesitantly over the handle of the kettle. Was Kyoko going to come? Well… whoever it was anyway. The point was that Saki was there and he had never had anyone else in the room when it happened. 

Saki waited silently as Yuki poured the boiling water into the cup. He guessed it really didn't matter after all. It wasn't as if he was losing something if he stopped being haunted right? 

He cursed and grabbed his burnt hand, both the kettle and ramen hitting the floor. 

"Augh..." he said out loud. He was being stupid again and had managed somehow to pour the boiling water on his own hand. He turned red under the careful gaze of Saki, who moved towards him. 

"Are you all right?" the psychic asked. Yuki nodded, rubbing the burnt skin. It was already beginning to tingle and he could feel the painful sensation of pins and needles on his injured hand. 

The two lifted their heads when the faucet turned on beside him. Yuki turned to Saki questioningly, thinking she had been the one to do it. But she was on the other side of the kitchen, so his only explanation left was ... 

"Kyoko?" he asked. And the most profound sense of guilt, relief and happiness hit him all at once when two pale hands reached out and drew his hurt fingers under the cool stream of running water that soothed the painful burn. 

Yuki looked up to see a red-haired woman with Tohru's eyes smiling down on him. Her hands ran softly up and down his wrist comfortingly. 

"Honda... Kyoko?" he asked again, not taking away his gaze. She smiled and released his hands, turned the faucet off and kissed his forehead. She tapped the edge of his nose playfully and whispered, 

"Clumsy." 

And Yuki nearly protested out loud when her form suddenly vanished silently, leaving only soft whisps of smoke-like tendrils in her wake. He turned angrily in Saki's direction. But when he spoke, it wasn't towards her. It was towards the person behind her, just out of view outside the Kitchen door. 

"Baka neko." Yuki said knowingly. "How long have you been here?" 

And sure enough, the red-eyed cat came out from around the corner crossing his arms.

.

.

.

.

..

.----

----- 

Author's Note: Moo? 

Kativa-Chan – to tell the truth, I've already read it ^^. And I agree with you on that, it's definitely is one of the best I've ever read. I can only wish some day I might be as good as her ^^. 

NemKess- Bleh… I did think that was a little far-fetched now that I think about it. Although here's a fun tidbit: in the manga, rain makes kyou 'sleepy as hell' XD. 

Gallatica – Wooho! Kindred spirit! I'm tired of seeing the same clichés in all these fics… A lot of them are really good, but some things get on my nerves. No doubt there're a thousand and one clichés in this fic, but I figure I might as well attempt to write this fic anyway =P. Anyhoo, no you're not a blurcase. I figured that that POV changes may have been confusing. It's hard, writing from the outside. Usually I feel more comfortable to write in a first-person point of view and this feels new to me . How do people do it so easily!? O_o. And about the weakling Yuki… well that weakish-yuki-stereotype gets on my nerves SO much too . One of my top pet-peeves. If you've watched Yuki close enough, you'd know he's a strong person and he carries himself well considering the hell he's been through. Hopefully, Yuki doesn't turn into a puddle of mush. B'sides, Kyou an Tohru will make sure he wont! Nyahaha! Wish me luck! ^^ 

Aisha C. – thanks for taking the time to Review! I really appreciate it ^^. Interesting? Thanks, I always wondered what would happen if Yuki was haunted. ^^. 

Enjen- a little slow? Hmm… yesh. Indeedy. Things didn't really speed up in this chapter and it'll probably stay the same pace, considering my inability to make exciting fics -_-. Anyhoo… competition between Tohru and Kyou, eh? *rubs chin and then claps, rubbing her hands together malicious looking* Nyahaha… we'll see… 

Gia- It's such a compliment to be called original ^^ *turns red* ! thank you! *sob* Anyhoo… the official pairing is KyouxYuki and TohruxYuki. They're both the official pairings and it's going to be a tug-of-war until my muse tells me otherwise and she's pretty sure that she wants these two pairings to stay final hehe… 

Yaoi-Fan- Congrats!! You guessed it! It IS her. ^^ *high five* Here's your complimentary Sohma-family plushy pack for guessing right =P. *gives plushy pack* 

Pallas2- Me? Talent? Pfffttt XD. I laugh at you!… j/p. Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed the story ^^. I'm surprised that people actually find this interesting XD. Now… maybe I'll REALLY be convinced if no one falls asleep when reading this fic. =P 

Blade6- do you reaaalllyyy wanna know what happens? Well you seee…. *narrates the entire story*….. and that's what happens ^^. 

Neurotic Squirrel- I may have a teeny tiny amount of plot but let's see if I can turn this baby into an actual story and not just a fluke XD. Thanks so much for the review. And personally, I've taken such a liking to the YukixKyou pairing XD. I love you too! *big tackle*

aera-chan- hai! update ready and waiting, ma'am! ^^ Thx for the review. 


	3. Surprise Visit

**"A Strange Sort of Peace"**

**Author's Note: ** "Why is she haunting Yuki?" you all say? Well, you're going to find out snippets and pieces of the reasons in the upcoming chapters. However, Yuki's going to have to decide whether he wants to find out or not. Because it comes with a certain price. 

I'm very glad to have you readers still with me, especially on chapter 3. Hopefully, you're enjoying the story. I keep feeling like my writing's getting worse... O_o... Anyway, if you DO manage to get past my _horrible_ writing, Yuki gets a little surprise at the end of this chapter. XD. Happy Yuki-worshipping, everyone.... ^^

**Pairings:** KyouxYuki TohruxYuki  
(Yes I know I'm a strange one.) 

**Summary:** It all begins when a sleepless Yuki finds himself haunted nightly by a benevolent kitchen ghost. Could this be related to the dangerous accidents that keep happening around Tohru? Meanwhile, both a shocked Kyou and a timid Tohru find themselves falling in love... _with Yuki!? _

**_Warnings:_ **This story includes yaoi, non-consensual sex (rape), violence, death and much OMGness. Rating may change.

Part 3 

He wasn't sure how long the three of them were standing in the kitchen silently but it was actually Yuki who had to break the silence. Kyou didn't seem to be cooperative enough to answer his question properly, his eyes narrowed as if he was trying to burn a hole into him with his eyes alone. 

Yuki repeated the question, the air around them just as tense as the moment he had asked the first time. "I said… how long have you been here?" Yuki insisted, his eyes were frozen on the cat, both accusing and dangerous in nature. Kyou didn't respond right away, his eyes spending what seemed like an eternity frozen on the mouse. He could see what appeared to be the gears turning in Kyou's head, and whether it was about the conversation he had walked in or about why Hanajima was there so late at night was anyone's guess. 

Yuki resisted the urge to fidget under the scrutinizing look. Kyou simply snorted and muttered a bit slurred, "Why? What's it to you if I want to get something from the kitchen, anyway?" 

He muttered and walked past Yuki, heading towards the refrigerator where he reached in, and groped around the fridge as if he was looking for something. 

Yuki could only watch in reluctant curiosity the cat's fumbling fingers found the milk. Kyou turned on his heel. And finally the red-haired boy left the room, carton in hand. 

Yuki blinked, standing in the middle of the kitchen, unmoving and disturbed. What had just happened? 

Wasn't that supposed to be the part where Kyou turned around, flicked Yuki off and challenged him to a fight? Something was definitely wrong. No way in God's green earth would he pass up the opportunity to turn another one of their confrontations into a brawl. It wasn't in the bakaneko's nature… 

Or perhaps… it wasn't the fact that Yuki felt something was wrong, but the slight uncomfortable feeling he experienced when Kyou turned his back as if Yuki didn't mean a thing. It reminded him of a certain silver-haired man who had done the same: Turned his back on Yuki and left him to suffer alone. A memory he had been glad to forget. 

He scowled in annoyance. Kyou wasn't getting off that easy. Maybe if he could just egg him on a little bit, then … 

Yuki stepped just outside the kitchen where he was in view of the stairs, his fists itching for a fight. It all drained away the moment he absorbed the sight in front of him. He felt a strange, morbid if he allowed himself to say, fascination that made him stare. 

Kyou was curled up comfortably on the stairs, the milk carton tipped over a few steps down, pooling around the bottom in a white puddle. 

_Sleep walking!?!?_ He thought to himself in shock. _The entire time he was sleep walking!?_

Hanajima, who was still standing on the other side of the kitchen, sat motionless but watchful of their every move. "He really is an idiot," Yuki thought aloud and rolled his eyes slightly. His heart was still beating a little quickly, but he rested his hand over his chest to settle his emotions. 

"It seems that this is a good time for me to leave." Hanajima remarked quietly, and almost as a side note she added, "We should do this another time." 

"I suppose… maybe another night when Kyou's not here. He's more of a pain than anything, even in his sleep," Yuki said and crossed his arms. Hanajima's eyebrow twitched as if detecting something in the air. 

"Besides, we still have to attend school tomorrow and I don't wish to rob you of your chance of a restful sleep." She spoke and more floated than walked out of the house without another look at the clippings on the table. Yuki sat down on the chair and stared blankly at the door through which she had left and rested his head on the cool surface of the table. 

"Sleep? If only it was that easy…" he muttered. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~* 

It was Saturday and the morning was on the verge of slipping into the afternoon. The sun, however, wasn't as harsh as the previous days before. Autumn was approaching and soon, and it wouldn't be long before the winter would glide quietly behind fall's wake. 

"There!" Tohru said, patting the dirt with her gloved hands. The two of them were poised on either side of the small garden, tending to the full-grown vegetables and plants in their neatly placed rows. The last row, which Yuki had added at the request of Tohru, was a bit shabby compared to the other uniform growths. But they were healthy none the less, due to her inexperienced, but dedicated care. 

It was her own personal row that Yuki had watched her care for all by herself. He had taken a point to once or twice water some plants she had missed, but overall it was hers and he knew she was proud of it. 

"That's good… How about we head back to the house. I think they'll be all right for this afternoon," Yuki said dusting off his pants, which were spotted slightly from the damp earth under his feet. Tohru mimicked his actions, and tilted her head curiously for a moment as if losing herself in her thoughts. 

Something flashed across her face for just an instant, and had Yuki not been looking at her directly, he would have missed it. It was a cross between contentment and an emotion that Yuki hadn't been able to recognize. The silence passed with ease and Tohru was back to her normal self, slipping off her gardening gloves and beginning to brush the bangs out of her face. 

His eyes caught the faint image of an older woman sitting beside Tohru out of the corner of his eye. The surprise passed and he tried desperately…. Secretly… trying to hold onto the image of her pleased smile.

"Let's come back here again tomorrow, ne Yuki?" Tohru spoke. Yuki smiled warmly at her and the two proceeded back to the path towards home. 

"Of course, Honda-san. I think some of them may even be ready to harvest to…-," his words slowed to a near stop as something small slipped into his hand as he walked. Small, gentle fingers intertwined subtlety within his. "…morrow." 

With all the strength he could muster, he forced himself to continue walking. He refused to let his feet stop. All he could do was concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other and hope that Tohru didn't notice the slight redness that he knew was forming on his cheeks. 

"I can't wait. We've been waiting for so long." Tohru's hand was warm in his, and Yuki was too afraid to squeeze her hand for fear of the illusion shattering. 

So much warmth…he thought, feeling breathless. 

"You know, Yuki, now and then I get impatient, and a little sad because I feel like they're not going anywhere… Not growing. Just stalling. And when that happens, I'm scared from time to time… that I may be doing something wrong…" Tohru spoke softly. 

"Tohru, I once told you that do things at your own pace…" He stopped Tohru. 

"I-I know." She stuttered a bit and Yuki laughed. She continued unfazed. "But I remembered that and I also know there will always be times when I'm glad that I'm taking my time. Because I appreciate everything you've done for me and I don't know how to tell you. Ah- that is… the garden's growing so wonderfully… and I know it's really yours but you let me have my own part…" 

He wasn't sure, but he hadn't remembered a time in which he had felt so much at peace. 

And he was so busy soaking in the unfamiliar feeling of 'home' that he didn't feel the earth shift underneath them until Tohru was falling back out of his reach. 

It was only an instant before he registered the long, steep descent of the hill directly behind her as she lost her balance and started to fall. Yuki reached out frantically, trying to bring her back on level ground. 

His fingers just barely snagged the sleeve of her jacket, but the unstable soil gave away under him as well and he felt himself fall forward as well. 

It seemed like an eternity in free fall before he hit the ground below and barely registered Tohru and him tumbling to a stop near the bottom. But by then, he was already unconscious. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~* 

Kyou slapped his face, trying to get at the infernal … _tingling_ that kept prickling the tip of his nose. 

He had taken another nap that day, in the living room. His head had been resting conveniently against the table and the rest body had obliged by sprawling itself out on the floor. And he _would have_ slept the entire afternoon away, had there not been something that kept coming back and tickling his nose; even after he swatted at it several times. 

He opened his eyes only to see a bright red blur between his eyes: It rested on the bridge of his nose, inching along towards his forehead determinedly. 

The red thing… it was definitely the culprit… whatever it was. 

He swatted at his nose again, but the red … thing… had fluttered off his face and landed on the table beside his shoulder. Its wings lazily closed and opened as if to deliberately ignore the redhead who was glaring daggers from above. 

"Butterfly?" he mused briefly before he sat up and slammed his hand down onto the table with a loud slam. Again, the little thing fluttered off out of the way of his hand just in the nick of time. It clumsily lofted its way through the living room towards the open door. 

_Oh no you don't…_ he thought and cursed it, standing up to clap his hands together in mid-air before it could get out of his reach. 

Again, his attempt to completely smash the insect failed and it fluttered off untouched. He growled when it landed on the floor just outside. 

"I had just fallen asleep you little shit…" he muttered at it and rubbed his eyes until they adjusted to the light. On the bright side, his mind lamented, at least it's not raining like yesterday. 

A voice carried over from the kitchen and Kyou could vaguely hear the shuffling and the cupboards opening in the adjacent room. 

"Kyouuu…." Shigure's voice sang. The cat twitched. The only reason Shigure would look around the kitchen was when he was hungry. 

"What is it now?" he snapped, feeling incredibly volatile after his nap was interrupted by a damned insect. An insect that still seemed to be waiting just outside the door, as if beckoning him to go get it. And his feline instincts weren't helping either. It wanted to run after it! He held back the urges. If his inner cat had its way all the time, he'd spend his entire life chasing shiny objects and trying to pounce small furry animals. 

"Have you seen Tohru-kunnn?" The shuffling in the kitchen stopped and it wasn't long before Shigure appeared beside the door frame in search of Tohru. "It's nearly lunch time…" 

"If you're hungry, why don't you cook? You sit around all day doing nothing, the least you can do is feed yourself when Tohru hasn't made anything yet," said Kyou, who scratched his head. Now that Shigure had mentioned it, the house _was_ awfully quiet. There wasn't Yuki's idle conversations or Tohru's melody of a when she sang during chores. It was just Shigure and him home alone, apparently… 

"But Tohru's cooking is so wonderful! I'd gladly prepare something, myself, but nothing can match the mouth watering culinary artistry that is Tohru's cooking. Such fine cuisine that takes only minutes or preparations as opposed to the long hours that ordinary people spend on meals of equal caliber," Shigure started on another one of his rants. 

"Enough!" Kyou said and jerked his hand to the kitchen in emphasis. "Stop complaining! I hear enough of your whiny voice every day at breakfast." 

"But I'm only stating the truth. We all know that Yuki and I are incapable of constructing such fine provisions. Oh, let's not forget you, Kyou-," Shigure said. 

Kyou's expression came to a screeching halt. "I'm not cooking for you," Kyou muttered flatly, completely cutting off the direction in which he knew the conversation was going. 

"But-," Shigure continued. Kyou ruffled his head in frustration, sensing the losing side of the argument was his once more. 

"Okay okay! I'll go look for them, already! Just stop whining!" He said and turned too quickly to see the smug expression on Shigure's face and the brief thumbs up he sent to no one in particular. He simply marched out the door and headed out onto the path that led to the main streets of the town. 

He spent half of his time muttering on the way there, while the other half was spent staring at the same red butterfly that had bothered him earlier that afternoon. It seemed to be fluttering along the same path he was headed. 

It was then that Kyou suddenly realized that he didn't have the slightest idea of where Tohru or Yuki had actually gone. Chances are the two of them had probably gone off on their own to spend time together. _On purpose,_ he added stubbornly. 

The thought brought a scowl to his face, despite the fact that he had told himself before he didn't care what those two were up to. 

Yuki could do whatever he wanted. It wasn't like the kuso nezumi mattered. Prancing around like he was better than everyone and talking like he really was high and mighty. It just pissed him off more to look at him. 

Except lately, it wasn't too bad, he guessed.

He recalled the nice way Yuki would tilt his head sideways whenever someone asked a question that he couldn't answer right away. The bangs of his hair would fall partly over his right eye until brushed aside by his left hand. _That_ wasn't too bad at least… 

There was a red blur that appeared inches away from his face and he jerked back a couple of steps when the same… yes… the _same_ butterfly was fluttering directly in front of him. His train of thought was shattered instantly. 

"Shoo! Go away!!" He said and waved his hand frantically at it. The thing wouldn't leave him alone! It was finally beginning to really test his nerves and he ran after it, determined to bring an abrupt end to its reign of terror. His inner cat jumped at the chance to explore its instincts and the next thing Kyou knew, he had thrown himself forward and caught the thing in his hands. 

He hadn't crushed it, to his own relief… but it was caged inside his fingers. He took a moment to stare at it and he briefly wondered why it wasn't frantic with fear, or trying to slip through his fingers to freedom. It only opened and closed its wings in the confined space and waited patiently for Kyou to finish his examination of it. 

"Gotcha…" Kyou pulled his legs up underneath him in a cross-legged position. He opened his palm, pleasantly surprised to find that it delayed in leaving the spot on his palm. It sauntered up to the edge of his middle finger, and continued on its way back up his wrist once he turned his hand over. 

A voice called for help from somewhere in the cluster of trees around him. He raised his head, ignoring the butterfly as it zipped off his fingers and disappeared somewhere down the path. The voice was coming from a small cliff at the side of the trail. He stopped just before the edge, where the ground had suddenly dropped into a steep slant. 

Down below, he recognized two figures: one waving her arms a little desperately, and the second lying unconscious in front of her. 

"Tohru? What're you doing down there?!" Kyou said and stared at the second figure. He couldn't see the other too clearly, but the dark purple hair was a dead giveaway of who it was. He moved forward to climb down, but several clumps of earth gave away under his foot. He stepped back before he could lose his balance. 

"Be careful! You might make it down, if you go really slow, but the ground is soft where you are… if you fall, you might get hurt too!" Tohru called back. 

"What happened? " he brought his hands up as he called to the two. "What's with the rat?" 

Even from a distance, he could see Tohru's hand resting on Yuki's forehead comfortingly. "I don't know how hurt he is… but he's unconscious. Kyou, can help us? I wanted to move Yuki but I'm not strong enough to bring him up to the road again…" she said. There was a tinge of panic in her voice as she spoke and he could tell she was trying not to cry. 

"What about you?" Kyou said and he grabbed a hold of a tree root and slowly lowered himself down on the steep incline. He found his way down, foothold by foothold. 

"My foot hurts a little… but forget about me. I know you're worried about Yuki too." 

Kyou snorted. "Don't even think it." 

*~*~*~*~*~*~* 

The two eventually did manage to get up and out of the small ditch, and Kyou ended up having to carry the 'dead weight' around piggy-back. He rather would have slung Yuki over his shoulder, but Tohru wouldn't have liked it. 

One wrong move and he knew Tohru would have burst into tears, so he simply hefted Yuki onto his back and brought him home. Tohru, who he also had to keep an eye on to his annoyance, limped all the way home alongside the two. It wasn't that Tohru herself was a burden, though. The girl was never a burden. 

It was Yuki. 

At first it had been a hellish ordeal for Kyou, having to lug around the object of his loathing. He had taken great lengths to 'stay the hell away' from Yuki and now, having to be in such close contact was needless to say… the literal incarnation of unhappiness. 

However… after a few minutes of silence, he began to notice the way Yuki's head rested perfectly in the crook of his shoulder. And he noticed the way it felt when he tilted his head only a millimeter to the right and let the long strands of hairbrush up against his neck. 

So maybe he did mind it… but it was only just a little bit. 

When the three had arrived, Shigure had called Hatori upon seeing their present condition. And to Hatori's credit, the doctor did not take long to arrive. He examined them, saying only a few words in question. 

Apparently Yuki wasn't seriously injured. After looking him over, Hatori had concluded that he had just been a little exhausted from lack of sleep. Falling unconscious had been the perfect opportunity for his body to rejuvenate itself. So Yuki had gotten off with only a couple of bruises. 

The worst of the three ironically turned out to be Tohru, who had a lightly sprained ankle. Hatori only had to bandage it and give her instructions to take it easy on her ankle. 

But the _real _problem came when Hatori lingered even after he had finished treating the three. It was finally when Hatori shifted his gaze out into the front yard where a black car was parked, did Kyou finally understand. 

The door opened eventually and a dark young man stepped out. He walked towards the house, eyes full of composed malevolence. 

"It's been a while," Said Akito with a smile. 

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Author's Note: Format doesn't let me but a bunch of space after the chapter ends and before this author's note. So those little .'s will have to do. =P. 

Caer- Wow thanks! ^^ I thought my transitions were much too slow XD. I'm glad you're enjoying this ^^.

Merei-chan- I hadn't actually intended it to be a cliffhanger, but I was on a roll that night and that's where my writer's block kicked in XD silly me...

Gia- Ahhh! A KyouxYuki fan I see! (why else would you be reading this, hehe! ^^). I'm glad you're enjoying the story. I can never get enough of YukixKyou. You could say I'm an addict who was suffering from withdrawal... so I wrote this XD.

hypersarcasticinternetaddict- Nice name XD haha. Yeah the clippings really gave it away. I have a talent for revealing things before I mean to, and a talent for getting the audience to assume the wrong things. Luckily, I seem to have some smart readers. w00t.

Polka dots- And he hasn't gone nuts already? HA! This is just the beginning. Yuki's going to go insane later, just wait and see XD. Nyahaha...

NeuroticSquirrel- aww... well let's do it again. I love you! *glomp* I just hope that my story doesn't suddenly die, or get boring XD.

gallatica- ewwiiieee XD! Kyo=Kyoko? EeeehHH! Well not quite... Kyoko's definitely haunting Yuki for a reason... however you'll have to wait and see. Because I have a definite reason, but it may change as the story progresses. So it's like I'm sitting back and watching this too!

Kativa-Chan- technically KyouxYuki IS the official couple. But ahm... TohruxYuki is also. The thing is, Yuki's probably going to stay with both. Just cause I'm stubborn like that. nyahaha. So it's just one big happy family except... you know... not really. XD

Zeynel- I hope you and all the readers got a kick out of how Kyou's reaction ended up being like. Cause I certainly did. I didn't know that was going to happen until _right_ when I wrote it. Now the question really is... Kyou may have been sleep walking, but did he fake it? Did he comprehend part of it? And in the end we're still asking the same question. Go random plot bunnies GO!

ElvenQueenSelenity - lol I hate cliffhangers too! Like I said to someone Mirei-chan, I hadn't intended for it to be a cliffhanger. I'm just incompetent like that XD. lol. 


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